Mystic Mystery

Summary: The Mystic Isles Protectors and magic wielders have mysteriously been drained of all their magic. Desperate for answers, Chrysta contacts Sofia, asking her for help. The former Protector gathers a team to help investigate the mystery of the missing magic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First. I own the villain(s) seen here, as well as Jas Butterford, Muscles, Charlie, Serena, and any other random OCs. MarionetteJ2X owns Nana and Tanya (both mentioned).

A/N: While this story will contain mystery elements, per the title, there are also going to be quite a few dark elements the deeper the story goes. I know, I know. Literally no one is surprised at this point. Haha. But there is a reason for everything… I guess you'll find out just what that is!


Chapter 1: Behind Your Eyes


Time was a peculiar thing. On some occasions, it seemed like the days dragged on and on, with no end in sight, or no hope that something more exciting could be on the horizon. But on other occasions, time went far quicker than anyone could imagine. Someone had blinked, and just like that, nine years had passed since Cedric and Sofia married each other. Nine years of love, loss, trauma, happiness, renewal, revelations, trust, and more. The ups and downs were similar to any marriage, though their experiences were admittedly far less orthodox than most other couples would ever know. But in a way, they couldn't really imagine things going differently for themselves.

A few hours had already passed, and Cedric and Sofia were cuddling on a blanket in her garden, remnants of dishes with crumbs from their lunch and empty saucers that had once held delicious teas neatly stacked a few feet away from them. While Cedric was dressed in fairly normal attire (his more relaxed sorcerer's robes), Sofia wore a simple yet beautiful ankle-length white dress, which was light and airy in the early spring warmth. The princess was lying on her back, her fingers tracing the air with the clouds floating by above them, while Cedric lay next to her, listening to her as she spoke.

"I can't believe it's been nine years," Cedric told her after she'd grown silent. Seeing her turn to him with a smile, he returned the favor. "That's so strange to me…"

"Nine years of marriage," she agreed with a slightly mischievous lilt to her voice, "but over twenty years of friendship. I don't think you know just how important your friendship was to me, Cedric…"

He chuckled, reaching over and taking one of her hands. "I could say the same, my love… You befriended me without caring about status or age differences…" His fingers traced the wedding ring on her left finger, and he smiled thoughtfully. "In fact, I don't really feel as 'old' as I probably should by now… Perhaps that's the magic of being with you, Sofia."

While she was flattered, she grinned and poked him playfully in the center of his forehead. "Or that could be your magical genes… Your mom and dad both look and act much younger than they really are." Sighing, she lowered both arms to her abdomen, closing her eyes as she absorbed the sun's warmth, the nice breeze of the wind brushing against the earth, and the sounds of nature all around them.

Cedric watched her for a few moments, drinking in her beauty. To him, she'd always been beautiful, but there was something about how she looked now that drew him like a moth to a flame. While still youthful, she would enter her 30s soon, and with age had come both maturity and confidence. There was nothing more attractive to him than Sofia standing up for the rights of others, demanding peace and consideration for the less fortunate—be that against the cruelest forces of evil, or against oppressive rulers from other kingdoms. Those eyes would glitter, and her hand would rest upon her hip, her look demonstrating just how patient yet expectant she was. No one told Sofia 'no' once she'd made up her mind.

Sofia's breath caught in her throat when she felt a warm pair of lips brush against each of her eyelids, a soft puff of warm air flowing over her sensitive skin as her husband laughed quietly. "Cedric…?" She slowly opened her eyes, staring up at him.

"One of my favorite things about you," he whispered, so as not to ruin the peaceful feeling of the moment, "is your eyes…They convey so much honesty, love, and trust… Yet I know the depth of what they've witnessed in the past." He reached up, brushing his fingers against her cheek, smiling as she leaned into his touch. "I marvel at your strength and resilience, my love. I don't think I've ever met anyone as amazing and strong as you are."

She adjusted herself a bit before lifting her arms to wrap them around his neck. "You're the truly amazing one, Cedric. You made peace with your past and broke years of traumatic chains to become this sensational man I get to call my husband. And I love you for overcoming so much and giving me the chance to be in love with you, even if people doubted us at first." She pulled his head closer to hers, whispering against his lips, "Let's see them doubt this." With nothing more to say, she pressed forward and kissed him deeply, moaning in delight as he returned the kiss.

Like many times before, they were quickly losing themselves to each other, skin aflame with deep blushes and the layers of clothing they wore quickly becoming stifling. Perhaps they would need to return to somewhere more private, lest they mentally scar the innocent bystanders known as wildlife…again.

But alas, that would not come to pass, especially when heavy footsteps were heard slamming through the grass just at the entrance of the garden, followed by shallow breathing. The couple broke apart and made themselves as presentable as possible just as Cordelia arrived, clearly out of breath.

"Cordy?" Cedric asked, trying not to appear too guilty or disheveled in front of his sister. She didn't need anything else to tease him about. "What's the matter?"

"Something terrible has happened," she explained, her lungs feeling sharp and heavy as she tried to slow her pounding heart, to little avail. "No time to explain. Follow me. Hurry!" She turned, hastily moving back toward the garden's entrance.

Cedric sighed as he stood, pulling Sofia to her feet, smiling as he removed some of the blades of grass from her long tumble of hair. "It wouldn't be a memorable event in our lives without some sort of interruption, would it?"

She grinned. "Of course not. It's just not our style." She kissed him quickly before grabbing his hand, tugging him along. "Let's go see what Cordelia's talking about. Maybe it's not as bad as she thinks." She led him after the other sorceress, who wasn't too far ahead of them.

Sofia didn't know it yet, but she couldn't have been more wrong in her supposition.

To be continued…

Next chapter: Drained